Irish Stone - Rick's HostelIn October my Canadian pal and fellow traveller, Keri, and I headed to Northern Ireland's Portstewart, one of the many gateways to what is arguably Northern Ireland's most famous site: the Giant's Causeway. The train journey from Belfast to Coleraine was laid back and straight forward. We'd grabbed the dinner time train on a Friday, which was a bit crowded, so definitely make sure you get there in plenty of time to grab a seat. Two hours later, we'd arrived in Coleraine. We had an hour to kill before the next bus to Portstewart, so out we went to see what we could see of Coleraine. What a shame we couldn't stay for longer! The pedestrian shopping area was lovely and full of shops that I wouldn't have minded having more time to browse in and the townhall was gorgeous.
Then, it was quickly back to the train station to catch our bus to Port Stewart. We found our way to our hostel (Rick's Hostel, the Causeway Coast Independent Hostel) without incident and then, admittedly, took a little while to figure out how to use the phone in the hostel to call Rick to check in (it was all duct taped up and you had to hit the "call" button to summon Rick). However, once we'd figured it out (with the help of at least two other hostellers) we were on our way to an excellent stay in a very friendly hostel. Rick is extremely helpful and clearly a traveller at heart. The fellow guests at the hostel were all great fun – the hostel itself is small enough that you can really get to know your fellow backpackers. Our first night was spent in a small but tidy twin room (bunk beds only) and our second night we switched rooms to a 4 bed ensuite. There, the bunkbeds were luxury, as the bottom bunk was actually a double bed, and I was lucky enough to score it before Keri did (sorry, Ker!). It was also pretty handy having the ensuite shower as well, since the hostel was full and the communal showers were in high demand!
On Saturday, we were absolutely blessed with some wonderful late autumn sunshine and decided to head towards the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, a 20m long bridge from the which fisherman put up every year and run by the National Trust. It's around £4 to cross the bridge. The view out over the water was fantastic and the anticipation mounted as we walked closer and closer to the rope bridge (it's a bit of a walk from the road to the bridge itself). Finally, we were there and the moment of truth was upon us. Would we be brave enough to cross the bridge with a very obvious view to the water and rocks below? Oh yes we were! I'm not going to lie – my legs took a good 20mins to stop shaking afterwards! Keri and I spent forever taking pictures along the bridge, which was a luxury we could well afford since we were there during the off-season, although I have to admit it was still quite a bit busier than I expected! Apparently, in the summer, they have to operate a strict one way system on the bridge as so many people are trying to cross it at once!
The view down, from the rope bridge
The view from the islandOn the island itself, there really isn't much to see except an old fisherman's shack. However, we amused ourselves by taking many, many photos. Eventually, we headed back up to the road to catch the bus to the Giant's Causeway . . . unfortunately, I hadn't kept good enough track of the time and our bus was long gone, and there wasn't another one for several hours! What were we to do? Well, we thought that since the Irish were such friendly people, surely we wouldn't have too much trouble hitchhiking? Out went our thumbs and car after car just drove by! Oddly, many cars honked their horns at us (in a friendly way) or gave us a wave while they drove by . . . but it didn't appear as though anyone was going to stop. Finally when we'd all but given up hope, I stuck my thumb out for one last hurrah, as a group of 3 cars approached (Keri had gone to see about getting a number for a taxi) and lo and behold, car number two stopped! Thank goodness! They were a lovely English couple who just so happened to be going to the Giant's Causeway, the same location as us.
The Giant's Causeway (free entry) is Northern Ireland's only UNESCO World Heritage Site. The mythology behind this area is that an Irish giant named Finn MacCool built the crazy rock formations as a part of bridge to Scotland. He needed the bridge so that when he got there he could fight Scotland's giant, Benandonner. The scientific explanation is not as interesting, has to do with the rock basalt formations forming as lava flowing through the area cooled, creating the hexagonal columns. See, I told you it wasn't as interesting.
Me at the Giant's Causeway
I'd been to the Giant's Causeway before, so I knew what to expect. There are two paths you can take: the upper path, which leads to a set of stairs, which after you go down them, you then get to the Giant's Causeway itself; or the lower path, which heads straight to the Giant's Causeway, but if you want to see the view from the cliff-tops, you then need to climb those steps up to the top. I personally recommend going along the cliff-top path first so you can see the views along the coast, and you also get the bonus of not having to walk up all those steps! Alternatively, if you don't feel you can face either walk there is a bus which will take you right to the heart of the Giant's Causeway, for just £1. The different formations of rocks are quite interesting, from the Giant's boot to the organ pipes, and if you time it right you might just get some spectacular waves hitting the rocks as the tide comes back in.
Me in front of the Organ Pipes
Me sitting on the Giant's Boot
Sunday brought back the typical UK autumnal weather: rain, fog, and cold. We had wanted to head back to Coleraine to check it out before getting the bus home, but when we checked with Rick, we discovered that since it was Sunday, the shops probably wouldn't be open until the afternoon, so there wasn't much point for us to go to Coleraine. Instead, we decided to go follow the Coastal Walk to Portstewart Strand, a stretch of 2.5km of gorgeous sandy beach. However, it wasn't really the best beach day and by the time we'd returned to the hostel we were absolutely soaked to the skin. We spent the rest of our time in Portstewart warming up in the hostel, before catching the bus back home. It's worth mentioning that unlike the mainland UK, Northern Ireland doesn't overcharge for public transport and you can get a Sunday Rambler ticket for £8, which will gives you unlimited travel anywhere in Northern Ireland for that day. Not too shabby.
Portstewart's Harbour